THE CONTROVERSIAL ban on the use of the herbicide glyphosate in South America’s agricultural powerhouse Brazil has been overturned.

Last week an appeals court lifted the suspension on all glyphosate products which was imposed last month by a Federal Court judge who wanted a toxicology re-evaluation of the weed-killer before it was allowed to be used.

Brazil is one of the world’s largest users of glyphosate, especially in its soybean producing systems, with the majority of soybeans produced in the Latin American nation being genetically modified and having the Roundup Ready (RR) trait, allowing in-crop glyphosate application.

The initial decision to ban glyphosate was slammed by the appeals court, which ruled that it was unjustified and did not consider the massive economic impact it would have on the Brazilian agriculture sector.

The appeal was lodged by the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture and a number of agriculture industry bodies and also covers the chemicals thiram and abamectin which were also to be banned under the initial ruling.